The present invention relates to heat exchangers as well as substrates for mounting high power electronic components. More specifically, the present invention relates to dissipation of heat generated by high power electronic components.
High power electronic components such as insulated gate bipolar transistors, diodes, microprocessors and memory chips generate heat during operation. The heat is usually dissipated to prevent damage to these components.
Heat sinks, mounted directly to the electronic components and secured to printed circuit boards, are typically used for dissipating the heat. However, as power densities of these electronic components continue to increase, conventional heat sinks (e.g., heat pipes, aluminum fins) will become impractical for dissipating the heat.
The heat may be dissipated by liquid-cooled heat exchangers. However, typical heat exchanger materials do not possess each of the following characteristics: strength, thermal conductivity, and a coefficient of expansion (xe2x80x9cCOExe2x80x9d) that matches the COE of the electronic components. Heat exchangers possessing these three characteristics are usually made of more than one material. Such heat exchangers are usually complex, heavy and expensive.
According to one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus comprises a heat exchanger including a silicon nitride substrate; and an electronic component attachment layer on an outer surface of the substrate. According to another aspect of the present invention, an article for mounting high power electronic components comprises a substrate of a silicon nitride having an in-situ reinforced microstructure; and selective metalization on a surface of the substrate.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a heat exchanger comprises a frame, and first and second substrates bonded to the frame. The frame and the first and second substrates define a fluid passageway. The first substrate is made of silicon nitride.